The beautiful Art Gallery of Alberta, designed by Randall Stout of Randall Stout Architects in Los Angeles, reinvents the museum's public spaces with a continuous surface of InvariMatte® stainless steel that flows gracefully through both its interior and exterior spaces.

The expanded Art & History Galleries of California's landmark Oakland Museum were transformed to re-emphasize the structural beauty and add sleek, handsome strength using a lightweight steel structure clad in stainless steel with clerestory windows, and adding stainless steel canopies with skylights over the central staircase.

L.A. High School #9 for the Visual & Performing Arts, a spectacular 9.8 acre campus with seven buildings, features InvariMatte® low-glare stainless steel. The focal points of the campus – a 950-seat theater with a tower and helix, a cone-shaped library, and soaring lobby showcase 4 different gauges of our product.

AirTrain terminal features beautiful stainless steel roofThe spacious and functional design of the Jamaica AirTrain JFK Terminal, a multimodal transfer point linking the new light rail system from JFK International Airport to the Long Island Rail Road, New York City Transit subway lines, and ground transportation centers features beautiful InvariMatte® stainless steel low glare roof panels.

University of Oregon unveils etched metal muralA first-of-its-kind graphic art mural made of etched stainless steel graces the new John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes at UO. The etched steel mosaic, which forms the image of Albert Einstein, is comprised of over 3,000 photographs of campus scenes and student athletes taken by photographer, Basil Childers.

The successful and handsome appearance of the Airside Concourse roofing system features InvariMatte® low-glare stainless steel. The new Central Terminal B, Airside Concourse and Automated People Mover were designed to meet the air travel needs of the region, and reflect the Sacramento “sense of place.”

The new Chalmette High School Cultural Arts Center in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana is a true statement of recovery and transformation, hard hit by hurricane Katrina only 5 years ago. The highest point of the inspirational building, which houses the theatre, is covered with curved and artistically formed InvariMatte® stainless steel panels.

For over a decade, CMR has been helping architects, panel manufacturers, fabricators and contractors succeed in creating one-of-a-kind, sustainable buildings with our high performance flat rolled metals.

Contrarian Metal Resources offers an unrivaled selection of decorative stainless steel, titanium and other metal finishes, all specially engineered for architectural applications. Our portfolio includes a variety of textures, surface treatments and finishes and represents only best-in-class products – primarily manufactured in the United States and imported from across the globe. In addition, CMR also offers custom finish solutions – to assure maximum design flexibility.

CMR is uniquely focused on architecture. We manufacture and distribute only best quality products focused on uniformity and flatness, and provide complete metallurgical support to ensure the appearance and performance of our high performance architectural metals.

Made primarily from recycled material, Contrarian's portfolio of products are designed to last the life of the building without finish deterioration. Given the intrinsic value of these materials, stainless steel and titanium components are likely to be recycled when the building is eventually torn down. The result is sustainable design with low maintenance costs and low environmental impact that generates long-term value to the building owner.

Look to CMR for the products you need – from dull stainless steel and titanium for roofing, to a broad variety of decorative stainless steel finishes ideal for curtain walls, column covers, elevators, and other architecture, as well as zinc sheet for countertops and other applications – to create one-of-a-kind, sustainable designs.

The Beauty of Exotic Metal Shines Through

Monday, 27 November 2006 09:54
Written by James Halliday, President of CMR (Dan Tambellini, LarsonO’Brien ADV/PR)

As metal roofing becomes more popular, its aesthetic appeal is better appreciated and receives more attention. The need for a better quality, and a better looking, metal roofing product and accompanying advances in metal processing methods, have pushed the popularity of metal roofing far beyond the industrial plants, barns and tobacco sheds of yesterday.

Advances in color palettes and finishes have allowed this time-tested material to take on the look of more traditional products while still boasting all of its own desirable characteristics. Metal shingles designed to have the look of cedar shakes and any color imaginable, including those custom designed to be consistent with a corporate brand, have advanced metal roofing’s aesthetics. Those products are amazing and can help any project achieve a desired aesthetic while offering all of the benefits of metal.

But, what if the product you need isn’t a copy cat. What if you want a roof that stands up proudly as natural, unpainted metal and easily moves past the sea of disguised products? An exotic metal roof makes an incomparable aesthetic statement.

An exotic metal in its true form is striking. Metals such as zinc, stainless steel, titanium and copper demand and deserve the attention they receive for being themselves and for being different. These materials are often referred to as exotic because the appearance of a well-executed natural metal is magnificent, and the metal itself exudes a mystique.

And while the material remains true to itself, a finish is often necessary to allow the most functionality and performance while still delivering exotic beauty. Finishes can be rolled in, abrasive, colorized or embossed and offer many different, subtle appearances.

In addition the material’s aesthetics at the time of installation, long-term performance is also essential. Corrosion resistance and durability are important for both performance and aesthetics, as is the resistance to mold. When exotic metals are properly specified and installed they can last the life of the building with little maintenance. In going the distance, these materials not only provide an environmentally sensible solution, they are cheaper in the long run as compared to materials that require replacement.

A rusted, dented or algae covered metal roof panel is not visually appealing and means many problems for the building’s architect, owner and facility manager. Specifying a metal and finish that will perform for at least the useful life of the building is critical.

A finish, such as those we produce at Contrarian Metal Resources, creates an interesting visual and a high level of functionality. That translates into the ability to make an aesthetic statement while achieving the necessary level of performance to ensure those aesthetics remain intact.

For example, an architect might desire the beauty and sleek nature of exotic metal for the roof of a technology center along a major interstate. The aesthetic of stainless steel might be just right for a high tech look but a highly reflective material isn’t appropriate in a high traffic area. A solution is to specify the exotic metal but with a low glare finish. The reduced reflectivity is suitable for the location and the stunning metal crowns the building just as the architect desired.

Stainless steel roofing offers a host of low maintenance benefits and will last for generations to come.CLICK to learn more!